


RWBY June Art Challenge 2018

by GoneRampant



Category: RWBY
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, RWBY Art Challenge, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoneRampant/pseuds/GoneRampant
Summary: Prompt list here: https://twitter.com/RWBYAC/status/1002026962590711808 Thirty days, some of those will have prompts fulfilled. Pairings and characters will be added when they appear.





	1. Favorite Character- Emerald Sustrai

**Chapter 1- Favorite Character**

* * *

 

Emerald always found it interesting to see what people took for granted. When she was on the streets of some backwater Mistral town, Emerald would peer at at the civilians walking by, loaded down with either shopping bags or each other's woefully pathetic problems such as paying bills or romantic issues. The way some people in particular treated the privilege of clean, running water baffled her for a short time. From the perspective of the street-  _former_ street-rat, now mercifully past-tense- it was hard to sympathize about boy or girl troubles when she could still remember the shakes she got from a few days without eating. 

Life had its own way of putting things into perspective, she mused. Now she got to sleep in warm beds, got three full meals a day and was far from alone. Perhaps most importantly, she now had company. Company that listened to her and seemed to actually care for her.

Cinder had found Emerald on that fateful day, almost at random. By Cinder's own admission, she had no plans to stay in the town for more than a day, with her current assignments requiring her elsewhere in the Kingdoms within a certain timeframe. But then she'd seen Emerald working her twisted magic at a jewel store, and, to quote the woman in the red dress, "I was drawn to you like a magpie that finds a diamond." She'd smirked, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world. "Or an emerald, in this case." 

Emerald had blushed at that for almost an hour straight, tucking her hair in front of her cheeks to cover up the tinge. Cinder had effectively blackmailed her into following, but it was more accurate to say that Cinder had saved her that day. The jeweler was the mayor's brother-in-law, and he had used that pull to quickly organize a small mob. Cinder had saved her from a vicious beating that likely would have seen her hands broken- or worse. In the backwaters of the Kingdoms, no one ever looked twice for a missing woman.

Emerald didn't truthfully know where Cinder was taking her, beyond that they were heading north. Cinder spoke of a transport ship waiting for her in a port at the coast, and Emerald had no reason to doubt her savior so she just nodded and kept walking along. Cinder was polite and kind most of the time, but was very curt and insistent to Emerald that she know "her place." Cinder was covering all of the costs of living, providing new clothes and weapons without any regard for price, but she had one ironclad rule; when she gave an order, Emerald was to follow. No objections, no hesitation, no questioning the command. 

It was a simple rule, and one Emerald could understand. She had no objections to this rule Cinder placed on her, especially when they were just small requests here and there. Sometimes, Cinder preferred to camp at night and practice her archery, so she would tell Emerald to ensure a fire was lit. Simple tasks like this were common on the road, and Emerald took to them easily enough. What made them worthwhile, however, was how Cinder would spare a few words to praise her for such simple deeds. Cinder preferred to avoid speaking when it wasn't necessary, which made Emerald feel validated whenever Cinder would smile at her, gently place her hand on her should and murmur "Thank you Emerald. I appreciate this." 

Emerald had to wonder if Cinder knew what that appreciation did for the mint-haired thief; her heart always sped up until it felt like it was smashing her ribs into powder, her spine shook like a leaf in the barley and made her legs feel like jelly. It helped that Cinder was beautiful, and she knew she was beautiful. She made an effort to look like a hair wasn't out of place as much as possible, and made walking around in those glass heels look elegant, stylish, and as easy as breathing. Emerald never quite knew when she fell in love with Cinder, but she had a strong idea of where exactly it nurtured.

They had been on the road for about two months. Cinder told her that they were a few days away from her ship that would take Cinder to the next part of her assignment, details of which were as illusive as the day they met. Cinder had promised that in due time, Emerald would learn about her role in Cinder's plan, and Emerald was satisfied with that; Cinder hadn't lied before and there was no reason to begin to do so now.

They were in an inn, far from the worst housing Cinder had requisitioned on this journey, but not the best by any stretch of the meaning. It was more than enough for Emerald though, with soft beds, warm water and complimentary soap/shampoo that she always stole (Cinder had once walked in on Emerald swiping them and just airily commented that the inn staff had to change out the bath items regardless in case the guests tampered with them). Cinder had just come out of the shower, running a towel through her hair (she was one of those people that got dressed in the bathroom, which Emerald both loathed and was happy for because she probably would have died if that wasn't the case) before stopping as she saw Emerald sitting on the windowsill, lazily flipping through a book. Emerald didn't look up, ignoring her companion's gaze as Cinder grabbed a few things and placed them in her bag before sitting on the opposite side of the windowsill, tapping Emerald's foot once she got comfortable. 

"I've been thinking," Cinder said without any preamble, "about how we met. Something that I've always wondered was why you were alone on the streets, operating on such a small level. With your semblance, Mistral's black market would have had thousands of offers for you within a month. You could have become a queen of the underworld there if you so desired, and yet I find you in some backwater hamlet." Cinder's head tilted. Her eyes were empty, devoid of emotion for the moment, watching every single facial tic Emerald made with her usual scrutiny. "So why were you there? What did you run from?" 

Emerald opened her mouth, closed it. "I'd rather not say," she mumbled. "It's not that interesting a story anyway." 

"I'd like to hear it." Cinder's hand reached out, thumb running along the back of Emerald's hand. "I care enough to want to know you Emerald. Is that so wrong?" 

After restarting her brain and regaining her focus (and using her Semblance so Cinder would ignore the blush on her cheeks yet again), Emerald started to stammer. "I- I mean, no, and you're right, it's just..." she sighed. "Fine. Do you really want to know?" 

Cinder nodded, pulling her hand back so Emerald could focus. 

Emerald let out a shaky breath, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I wasn't born on the streets. I had a family, once. A mother, a father, some siblings. I don't know where they are now. Probably alive, or dead by Grimm. I never looked. My childhood was fine, I was allowed to become a bookworm, didn't really have to talk to many people and was left to my own devices. But one day..." Emerald shook her head. "I can't remember, but something happened and my Aura woke up. Then my Semblance followed." 

Her eyes narrowed. "Anyone who ever tells you kids are innocent doesn't hang around kids a lot, and never had siblings. Kids are bastards and scumbags. When I was on the streets, it was always kids who'd raid my dwellings, steal my money or my blankets or knock food out of my hand. Most adults just ignored me, and that was more of a blessing than people think. When my Semblance was discovered, it was like a switch was flipped on all of my family. Suddenly, I was public enemy number one. Whenever they wanted to play a prank, I'd always be the fall guy, the person they blamed for it. I could say 'I didn't do it' until I went hoarse but my parents never believed me. They just thought I was some bookworm who was hiding how much of a monster she was with books. They started to tell other kids about me and my Semblance, made me sound like a demon. That name haunted me in school. I was the Sustrai's 'demon brat.'" Emerald's hand tightened around her book, the spine groaning softly under the pressure until Cinder pried it away gently and set it down. "I ran when I was nine. I convinced myself at the time it was a mutual decision to leave, so I could take the sting away. I wasted most of my savings on a ticket out of my hometown. The rest isn't worth repeating."

Emerald's head fell until her chin rested over her heart, a sniffle bubbling up in her chest. She knew that her Semblance was making Cinder see nothing out of the ordinary, that Emerald had just trailed off, but how Cinder was looking at her made her doubt it was working. She'd relied on it to hide her physical reactions to Cinder, to the point where Cinder had likely discovered the 'tells,' the feeling of razor wire wrapping around her brain. 

"Emerald. Don't ever use your Semblance on me again unless I tell you to." Her tone was somewhat soft, but underneath was a hardened edge. Emerald looked up at her, Cinder's amber eyes displaying clear... annoyance. "It insults me that you cannot be open with me. I don't want you to hide behind it anymore." 

"I... of course, Cinder." Emerald's Semblance faded away, letting Cinder see the puffy red eyes Emerald had hidden. Cinder's hand came up slowly, her thumb running slowly along Emerald's left eye. 

"It hurt you, didn't it? When they tormented you." Cinder's voice had softened, much of the smokey, sultry charm that laced it in much of her encounters gone for the moment as she stared directly into Emerald's eyes. "That loneliness you hide from the world has impacted you and fractured you. I see it easily in you because I once carried that same despair before I found my purpose. They took away your chance at a happy life, forced you away from what you knew and plunged you into a world of nightmares and deceit." 

Emerald shuddered under the touch as the hand trailed down her cheek and cupped her chin, holding her head in place. 

"I want to promise you something new Emerald." Cinder inched closer, her eyes becoming all Emerald could see, the thief almost falling into a trance because of those eyes. "I already promised you would never go hungry again, and now I wish to say this: the loneliness that has consumed you will never hold a grip over you again. I promise you, I'm not leaving you. I will _never_ leave you, Emerald. So long as you stay by my side and know your place, you will never be lonely again." Cinder's thumb stroked her chin, her forever-hot touch making Emerald's very skin come along and sing in desire and adoration. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes," Emerald whispered, lost in the eyes that were consuming her soul.

"Will you do as I say? Help my in my goals?" 

"Whatever you want." Her voice sounded muffled to her, as if her ears were stuffed with cotton.

"Good." Cinder leaned forward, gently pressing her lips to Emerald's forehead. Emerald shuddered under the touch, locking eyes with Cinder again as she pulled back. 

"Cinder," she swallowed. "I... I-"

"Yes?" 

"I... am really glad I met you." 

For perhaps the first time, Cinder's smile seemed somewhat genuine, not laced with any malice or hidden intent. It was a rare side to the woman that Emerald had rarely seen in their months together. "And the feeling is mutual Emerald. You have an amazing gift with your Semblance. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. They could only dream to have a power such as yours. Together, we will be strong, and we will make those former oppressors fear us for the rest of their pitiful days." Cinder gently kissed Emerald again, this time on the cheek, before leaving the room.

Emerald stayed on the windowsill, feeling her heart beat so fast it nearly tore out of her chest. She licked her lips, muttering a sentence under her breath and seeing how it felt when said aloud.

"I love you." 

The soaring feeling in her chest made it clear to Emerald that it was a truth she could latch on to. A truth so powerful not even her Semblance could masquerade it. She loved Cinder Fall, and Cinder had promised to protect her and ensure she would never be alone again. That was an order Emerald was content to follow, a fact of life she was satisfied in taking for granted for as long as she could.

* * *

 

A Year Later:

Mercury groaned wearily. The forced march from Haven Academy was starting to exhaust him, not least of which because of Taurus' lousy attempts at shadowing the trio; stealth evidently wasn't in that bullheaded creep's resume. He felt a small impact walk straight into his back; Emerald was still lost in thought and had just walked right into his back. 

He grunted. "Come on Emerald, focus." He didn't expect a response; Emerald hadn't spoken since that ear-piercing shriek she made right before buying him and Hazel time to get out of Haven. She'd eat when food was left in front of her and sleep when told to, but with such a robotic silence that she looked like a walking corpse. 

He froze as a quiet, raspy mumble sounded behind him. "She promised." 

Mercury wheeled in a heartbeat, watching as Emerald's dead eyes met his own. "What?" 

"She promised me. Cinder said..." Emerald shuddered. Mercury reached out tentatively, exhaustion leaving him in an instant as he touched Emerald's shoulder. "She said I'd never be alone again. She promised me that Mercury. And now..." Wet drops hit the ground as tears slowly started to form at Emerald's eyes.

"Emerald. Listen to me. Cinder's dead, and she's not coming back. We've gotta focus or we'll be dead soon too if those kids catch us. I promise you, I'm not leaving you, but you need to work with me. I can't keep us both alive. I have enough trouble keeping myself alive." He smirked wryly, hoping to get an reaction from Emerald; an eye-roll, a muttered curse or just her telling him to go off and die. That was how he knew she cared.

Instead, the dead eyes just keep boring into his. "Don't make a girl a promise if you can't keep it." She pushed past him, finding a rock and staring off into the distance, eyes glazing over as she fell into a memory or used her Semblance on herself. 

Mercury gritted his teeth, kicking a pebble away in silent rage. "Cinder," he muttered to himself, "what the hell did you do to that girl, and why do I have to clean up your goddamn mess?" 

He'd have to help her though. Cinder had thrown Emerald into a void that cast away any chance the thief had of a normal life, of happy interactions. He'd been in that void himself, thanks to Marcus. He knew what it was like to have some abusive psycho rip away the normalcy of life and make you a twisted, bitter little sack of crap that wanted to burn the would down.

And he'd be _damned_ if he let someone else crawl their way out of that void alone.

* * *

 

**So I apparently hate myself enough to commit to this again. For those who don't know, I did this last year and wrote out seventeen shorts. Some of them I even still like today, which is high praise from me. A lot of these are gonna be off-the-cuff and improvised, so don't expect anything that'll take home a Hugo. Consider these more glorified shitposts.**

**I wasn't exactly expecting to open with a sad chapter but that's life for you. Also, I seem to have a contract that says "I can't write Emerald unless she's suffering in one way or another, dem's the breaks."**

**Also, this is the token "I don't ship Emerald/Cinder, it's an abusive ship in canon but Emerald's perception is warped and Cinder is deliberately praying on her in a moment of weakness" disclaimer.**


	2. RWBY team member (Weiss/Ruby)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss recovers after Haven, but it's not just her that needs the help.

Being coddled was nothing new to Weiss. You didn't grow up in a family that could make enough money to solve an economic crisis before lunchtime without being around a few yes-men and sycophants. She hated them, much like she hated many of the people who resided in her father's employ, and had never missed them after she finally had enough pull in the SDC to remove them from her life. She was pretty sure at least one of them was a child groomer; after she told Winter and Klein that, she never saw that person again. In fact, no one ever did. 

She never missed them, but after the last few days, she was getting very close to reconsidering that idea.

She understood why everyone was coddling her and residing around her like a concerned mother-hen (at least for Yang this was nothing new and distracted her from the inevitably awkward conversation she would have to have with Blake that Weiss had ten lien on ending with a declaration of love and/or passionate kissing). Everyone else would be doing her a favor if they just left her  _alone._ She was fine, Jaune's Semblance had ensured she would barely have a scar, and within a few days she was able to freely move her right arm without a twinge of pain from her abdomen. Granted, the wound still hurt at night if she slept on her side, but she just needed to walk around for a spell while the pain faded and she'd be right back to sleep. She liked those quiet moments, free to walk around the house without any concerned glances or anyone saying "Weiss, are you sure you should be moving?" 

It was well-intentioned, but also could be aggrevating. Weiss didn't need a swarm of helper bees (she already had a bee, she was thinking of naming the Lancer Prickles), she just needed some time to herself so she could get over the whole not-dying annoyance that Haven had devolved into. Some peace and quiet were all she needed, but the house they had in Mistral was severely lacking in that. If it wasn't Ozpin talking off the ear of anyone who would listen in the main room, it was Blake and Yang avoiding each other, Nora jokingly making Jaune heal minor injuries, or Ruby training outside in the courtyard every night until the sun was poking over the horizon.

They all tried to avoid it, how Ruby was working herself silly since Haven. Everyone had taken some heavy hits, but Ruby had barely waited for her own injuries to heal before she had a new nightly routine. Qrow had a concerned look on his face every time the bags under Ruby's eyes grew more prominent, but when pressed by Ren, only said something non-committal about how her mother would do this too and work out her problems with training.

Weiss distinctly remembered the look on Qrow's face that followed her telling the drunkard where that particular idea for therapy could go fuck itself. She let Ruby work herself silly for a few nights, but after a solid week of little sleep, Weiss had decided to take action.

The small courtyard at the back of the safehouse overlooked a lot of the city, a sheer drop showing much of Mistral below. Ruby was in the middle, kicking up dust around her as she cleaved her way through a combination of slashes and strikes. Occasionally an empty click would indicate where Ruby was firing Crescent Rose (the magazine taken out to avoid waking up half the city), but otherwise it was a lethal and beautiful routine, on par with the fluid dance that was Weiss practicing with Myrtenaster. For all the grief Weiss could give her dolt of a partner, anyone who questioned Ruby's skill with her weapon of choice was a complete fool. 

Ruby finished up, dust swirling lazily around her feet. She was breathing heavily, chest heaving with every breath. Weiss paused when she realized how utterly tired Ruby looked, like she was about to fall over pass out right there in the sand. The silver eyes of her partner darted over to Weiss, widening slightly.

"Weiss? What are you doing up?" Ruby darted over to Weiss, reaching out to place a warm hand on her shoulder. 

"I couldn't sleep." It wasn't a lie, her pain had flared up. "But I should be asking you the same question. Why aren't you sleeping?" 

Ruby tried to look away, letting out an awkward half-laugh. "Heh, you know, training doesn't do itself, gotta stay sharp." 

"Yes, but you don't stop Ruby. Don't think we haven't noticed, when was the last time you bothered to sleep for an entire night?" 

"Weiss," Ruby dragged the word out in a slow whine, "don't be worried! I'm just getting some extra practice. I'm still sleeping!"

"When your body finally shuts down and forces you to sleep?" The question was rhetorical, delivered with an undercurrent of ice. "We've all noticed Ruby, you're running yourself ragged and you're close to a complete burnout. You need to slow down, and get some rest. The world can wait for you to get eight hours rest." Weiss reached up, closed her hand around the one Ruby had placed on her shoulder. "Come to bed Ruby." Her other hand wrapped around the hilt of Crescent Rose, slowly but gently trying to tug it out of Ruby's grasp.

All Ruby did in response was tighten her grip on her scythe, muttering something into her cape. 

"Ruby? What did you-"

"I said the world won't wait!" Weiss drew back as Ruby actually snapped at her. She hadn't seen that in... ever.

"Weiss, I got  _slaughtered_ at Haven. Emerald was tossing me around like a rag doll and the whole important thing I did for the entire fight was briefly use these..." Ruby gestured impotently at her eyes "what the hell these things are, for all of five seconds before I got knocked out like a chump! Then I come to and you've been..." she paused at that, glancing down at Weiss's abdomen. "What kind of leader am I if I'm not even conscious when my own  _partner_ is run through with a spear? I'll tell you. A useless one. A kid in over her head playing hero and getting my friends killed!" 

Ruby stomped away from Weiss, storming over to the ledge as Weiss followed. "Every single time I try and help someone, I get beaten around or get good people killed! Torchwick took me out of the fight at the docks in a heartbeat, we couldn't stop the Breach, and Penny..." Weiss paused as Ruby began to shake. "Pyrrha died, and all I could do was just sit there. I let the people who killed Penny walk out of the Amity Arena, and I couldn't even get the _monster_ that threw a spear into your chest! I'm _useless!_ I should never have left Patch. All I do is get the people I love hurt or killed, and I'm sick of it!" 

With her outburst finished, Ruby fell against the balcony, curling into a ball. Her eyes, normally these days puffy red from a lack of sleep were now rimmed with red. Weiss quietly moved to beside her leader, hands resting on her knees thanks to an inability to decide what to do.

Slowly, she reached around, pulling Ruby close and letting Ruby choke out sobs against Weiss's nightgown. Weiss rubbed Ruby's head as the girl continued, murmuring sweet nothings as she stroked Ruby's hair. Finally, the sniffling died down, as Ruby's breathing evened out. Weiss checked to see that her eyes were closed, and Ruby had fallen asleep. Gently, Weiss pressed a small kiss to Ruby's forehead. She got up, carrying the younger girl in a slow bridal carry into Ruby's bedroom that overlooked the courtyard. A quick use of her trusty Summon tossed up Crescent Rose, which she propped against the wall. Weiss tucked Ruby in, pressing another kiss to Ruby's cheek before starting to leave. She paused at the door, taking in Ruby's face. Free of the stresses the poor girl placed on herself in her waking moments, Ruby's face was small, porcelain soft and looked calm. 

Mentally shrugging, Weiss slipped into the bed behind Ruby, wrapping her arms around Ruby's midsection and burying her head in Ruby's hair. She needed this, Weiss reasoned. Needed comfort and contact that wasn't just the endurance and force of combat, or the familial love Qrow and Yang offered. She needed someone to be there, who would not judge and would wait for Ruby to come to her. Perhaps then, Weiss mused as sleep overtook her, she would finally be able to speak the words her heart had buried ever since that day in the Emerald Forest. It hurt her every day to see Ruby in pain, so desperate for love that Weiss could offer if Ruby only asked. But she would not take the first step; it would feel wrong to take advantage of Ruby by forcing her into something new and unexpected. Weiss would carry this torch for a while longer. 

But Weiss's heart was already used to keeping secrets from people she loved (and people she thought she loved at one point). She could keep this one, perhaps the most important secret of them all, close to her chest for a while longer if need be. 

* * *

**This was shorter than I expected, since this proved tricky to write. I had the concept in my head (Weiss talks with Ruby post-Volume 5 and finally gets Ruby to vent), but the words never came together in a way I liked. Ultimately, this is what I came up with; unrequieted White Rose. I had a line that made Nuts and Dolts/Pyrruby vaguely a thing (basically Weiss just noting that before she could really take her chance to confess to Ruby, she saw that Ruby had already fallen hard for Penny or Pyrrha), but I cut it because it never flowed well wherever I put it.**


End file.
